The Profitable Son Returns
by Chosencrosseyed
Summary: Eddy returns to his home town. What waits for him there will change him forever. *Author note* If notice any annomalies in the story plot, please tell me and I'll fix it. Thanks!
1. Chapter 1

The Profitable Son Returns

by chosencrosseyed

Chapter 1

It has been many a year since Eddy stepped foot in the Cul da sac. He thought that nothing would've been able to drag him back into that humdrum town. Yet he found himself pulling into his parents driveway. Eddy was taking it all in. The town looked worse than he left it, and he hadn't left it in a great condition then, but that's how it worked in the business world. You go to an area, drain it of it's resources, and move on. That was one of the few things he picked up from his parents. Lucky for him, he perfected the method. Eddy sat in the driveway for sometime before he got out of his car. He left Peach Creek for good reason. His reputation wasn't exactly all that great. Sure, close to the end the gang was finally accepted, but they knew that wouldn't have lasted long. Eddy could just look around and remember every stupid scam he ever came up with. All the failed attempts to get jawbreakers. Even after all they went through, he could only back with fondness. Eddy took a deep breath, and then got out of the care. The familiar warm summer breeze was comforting and yet it was iry. He felt like his week here would bring him nothing but chaotic shenanigans, something he missed dearly. Eddy walked up to his parents door and rang the bell.

There was no answer. Eddy was oddly expecting that. He still had the key, so he let himself in. He went to the kitchen where his mom left a note.

Going across state, house is yours.

Mom

By this point, Eddy was used to his mom leaving outta nowhere. At least he had the house to himself. Eddy went back outside to get his suitcase from his car. As he was walking to his car, he heard a familiar voice.

_"Hey dork". _Kevin was standing right by the trunk of Eddy's car. "_Hello Kevin, long time no see."_ Kevin's soul piercing stare made Eddy nervous. "_What are you doing here dweeb? I thought you were too good for peach creek."_

_"I'm here to visit old family and friends, got a problem with that?"_

Kevin stepped towards Eddy.

_If you even step foot near double d I will destroy you Eddy, do you understand?"_

_"Are you kidding?I have no desire to see him anyway."_

_"Good, keep it that way. Later dork."_

Kevin walked away from Eddy's and shot back down the street. Eddy went back into the house with his luggage from the car. He set it down in the living room and went to sit down for a moment. He began to wonder if comin back was such a good idea. After all, he did ruin many peoples lives. They don't exactly like him here. But he decided that he was here for the long haul. He would soon come to regret ever returning to the humdrum town.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kevin was walking home from Eddy's house. The anger was still building. As he was walking home, he sighted a hobo. Most of the homeless in this area get shooed away, but this one was generally accepted by everyone. He doesn't do any harm, so they just leave him be. Kevin stopped to chat with the man.

"_Hey man, how've you been?_"

"_Hello Kevin! Ralph gave me a potato today! I have named it Fred_." Kevin gave a confused look.

" _So… You're not gonna eat it_?"

"_Why would I eat such a quiet creature of the soil Kevin_?"

"_You know what man, forget I asked. Here, take this." _Kevin handed over $60 to the Hobo.

"_Thank you Kevin! I'll make sure not to spend it all on Jawbreakers this time." _

" _Sure you will, bye man."_

Kevin began to walk back home again. This time he was way more calm than he was before. Talking to the Hobo always seems to calm him down. He walked further down the street and reached his house. His home wasn't the one he had as a child, but it's closer to home than the others had, so he dealt with it. When he opened the door, he was immediately greeted with the stench of cigarette smoke. He closed the door behind him and went to the living room where Naz was sitting.

"_Naz, what did I tell you about smoking the house?"_

"_You said something, but I completely ignored it. Who cares anyway? It's not like you're ever gonna sell the joint. If you were, you would've done it by now." _Kevin was now standing over Naz who was relaxing in the recliner.

" _Naz, you damn well know why I don't allow smoking, so I'm only gonna ask once. Please put out the cigarette." _

" _Or what, you'll ground me? Give me a break." _Naz flicked the cigarette at Kevin. It narrowly missed hitting his eye, but he resisted the urge to do something rash. Naz, got up and started heading for the door.

" _By the way, Jim is hanging out with his friends down the street. He said he'd be back for supper in a bit."_

"_Thanks Naz."_

Naz left the house. Now Kevin was alone with his thoughts. He couldn't figure out why Eddy would be back in town now. What could he be planning. Eddy is always coming up with daft schemes. Then sharp memories started to come to Kevin's mind and he had to stop. The pain was too much to bare. The sticky notes plastered around the house didn't help either, but he couldn't bring himself to take them down. Not yet anyway. Kevin got up and started pacing the room. He thought the day would never come. Or rather he hoped it wouldn't. Now he has to do something that he made a vow he'd do if the opportunity arose. He needs to give Eddy the letter.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Eddy found himself wandering the streets of his old neighborhood. From the looks of it, everything was exactly how he remember it. That was a rare occurrence in any circumstance. Life changes so much that it's strange to be able to recognize anything anymore. As Eddy walked, he was greeted by a Hobo.

"Eddy?"

"?" The Hobo like a flash of lightning jumped up and embraced Eddy.

"EDDY EDDY EDDY EDDDDDY! I THOUGHT THAT SPACE DEMONS FROM THE DARK REALM SWALLOWED YOU WHOLE LIKE BUTTER TOAST!"

"GAH, Get off you stupid bum!" Eddy escaped the Hobo's grasp and bopped him on the head. Eddy staggered back trying to regain his senses.

"Wait a minute, Ed? Is that you?

" I am Ed."

" What are you doing on the street? Shouldn't you be in a home or something?"

" My parents wouldn't let me live at home."

" Not exactly what I meant, but good a good explanation none the less. Well man, I gotta scram."

"Wait eddy... Do you think Ed could spend the night at your house?"

"Pfft, no."

"PLEASE EDDY! I'm so cold at night."

Eddy and Ed stood there in silence for a few moments.

" Okay Ed. I let you stay the night, but give me all the cash you have on you."

"YAY!"

Ed and Eddy began walking back to Eddy's house. As they walked Eddy could only think about was a feeling of glory. He did something good so he will get rewarded, or at least that's what he thought. Unknown to both of them, they had a shadow.


	4. Chapter 4

Paste your docum

Chapter 4

The stench of fertilizer and motor oil had finally gotten to the son of a Shepherd. Rolf needed to see something new, something that could take his mind off of the common mans worries. So Rolf decided to hit a new bar in town called Peach trees. He'd heard from Jimmy that this bar was fantastic. It supposedly had an old country feel to it, and if Rolf needed anything, it was something old and familiar.

Walking into to the bar was like going through a portal and into another time. It was everything Rolf was hoping for. The interior of the bar looked like the inside of his old cottage back in the homeland. The room was filled with the stench of freshly rolled cigarettes and the aroma of acceptance. Rolf looked into the crowd of people at the bar and could only see himself. He was pleased with the notion that he was finally around common folk and not pesky city dwellers. Rolf walked up to the bar and noticed on the way that everyone in the bar was peering at him. He felt as if he were an alien.

Rolf sat down on a bar stool and waved to the bartender on the other side of the bar.

"_Hello there barkeeper, Rolf would like a glass of your strongest goatsmilk."_

The bartender reached under the counter and pulled out vodka, irish cream, and a mixer. He put the ingredients in the mixer and shook it until he could see Rolfs anticipation almost reach a maximum. The bartender poured the contents of the mixer into a glass and handed it to Rolf who immediately sunk it down in one huge gulp.

The Shepherd stayed in that bar for what seem to him like ages. He drank and drank and thought of how good things were back in the old country. Those were the simpler days when Father and Ma were still there. He missed them so much. Rolf couldn't bare to wallow in the memory of the old times by himself anymore. He looked around and was startled to find he was the only one in the bar now. He checked the time and realised it was almost 1:00 a.m. . He knew he should head home.

In a haze, Rolf stumbled outside into the dark streets of the lonesome town. As was looking around outside of the bar, he noticed two figures in the distance. Curiosity caused him to move closer to the silhouettes. As he moved closer, he determined that it was Jimmy and Kevin. He wanted to talk to them seeing as it had been far too long. Rolf moved in closer, and was finally able to see what they were up to. Kevin had his arms around Jimmy and their tongues were intertwined. Rolf fell backwards. This caused alarm to the couple. Jimmy and Kevin collected themselves and then stood dead silent. Rolf got back up and looked them over.

"_Um… Hey Rolf." _said Jimmy with fear in his voice. Without warning, Rolf grabbed Jimmy by his baby blue shirt and socked him. Jimmy fell on the pavement and Rolf began to beat him senselessly. Kevin tried pulling off Rolf, but he could not succeed. After an uncountable amount of time, the Shepherd finished with Jimmy. Kevin began to attend to Jimmies wounds and Rolf walked away. As the Shepherd walked away, a grin crept on his face and he had a extra skip in his wobbly step. He knew he could sleep tonight knowing he'd finally did something good.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Ed boys were resting in the dark of night. They had been drinking all night and the booze finally kicked in. Eddy was stirring from his slumber. He had to go get some water inside the house. As he looked around, he noticed that that Lumpy was nowhere to be seen. He looked all over the backyard and couldn't find him. He decided that Ed must have gone in to the house. He stumbled to the sliding doors that lead him inside to his room was just as he left it all of those years ago. The turntable was on top of a pile of mags he got from a friend in his teenagers. He'd forgotten at this point whatever happened to his disco ball. It had been broken so many times, he probably just threw it away. As Ed was looking around, his mind was flooded with memories of all the time he spent with his friends. Then, he started to remembered why he left the cul de sac.

He regained some of his senses and began to stumble out of his room. On his way, he tripped over something. It was too dark to see what he tripped over, but he didn't care. He got back up and continued over to the door. Almost collapsing, he manages to get out of the doorway and into the hall. Eddy found his way to the kitchen and got a glass of water. After drinking the glass in three big gulps, he put down the cup and went to the living room. He crashed on the couch and began to fall back to sleep.

Eddy… Ed began to call out for his good friend. Eddy... Eddy began to get annoyed.

Ed! Pipe it down! I'm trying to sleep! Ed continued to moan.

Eddy, I'm scared… Eddy shouted to the top of his lungs.

IT'S JUST DARK ED, GET TO SLEEP AND STOP ANNOYING ME!

Eddy turned over and fell asleep to the sound of a whimpering Lumpy.

The next morning, Eddy woke up with a pounding headache. He tried getting up, but he felt like Rolfing everytime he tried to sit up. Eddy after smoothly coercing his body, was finally able to get up and go to the bathroom. He did what he always did when he had a hangover. Throw up, rinse, repeat. After about a solid hour, get got out of the bathroom and went to the kitchen. He drank a lot of water and then after that, he made himself some breakfast. In the middle of eating, he realised something. He hadn't heard from Ed in some time.

Hey Ed! Breakfast is ready!

Lumpy didn't respond.

ED! COME ON!

Still, no answer. He knew after this point that something was seriously wrong. He started to look around the whole house for his partner in crime. COME ON ED, PLEASE! ANSWER ME! PLEASE! PLEASE ED! COME ON!

Eddy burst into his room and to his disappointment, found lumpy. Ed was on the floor. He wasn't breathing. Eddy jumped to the floor and checked floor and checked for a pulse. His skin was frozen to the bone


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Kevin had been by Jimmy's side for hours by now. Jimmy hadn't waken up yet and Kevin was starting to get worried. Kevin was still waiting in anticipation for the Doc's diagnoses of Jimmy. He couldn't wait to to get Jimmy away from all of this. Kevin couldn't help and think of the last time he was in this place. He could still hear sockhead screaming...

The Doctor walked into the room with a certain skip in his step.

_"Well we have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that Jimmy here has a severe concussion. The good news is that it seems to be the only thing we found wrong with him. He's a little beaten up, but he should recover with the right treatment."_

Kevin sighed in relief. He was almost brought to tears by the good news. The Doctor Coninued.

"_We want to keep him here for a day or two and just make sure that everything checks out and then we'll send him home right quick. We'll give you a list of things to watch out for. If you, notice any radical changes in behavior or mood, bring him back here so we can check on his head and make sure everything is right as rain. Any questions?"_

Kevin paused for a moment.

"_No, I think I've know all I need to. Thanks Johnny, I really apreciate all of your help."_

The Doctor noded his head and walked out of the room. As he was walking to his office to do some paperwork, he noticed a familar face sitting in a chair outside the enmergency room.

_"Well hey there Eddy. What are you doing here?"_

_" Johnny... It's Ed... He... He..."_

Eddy burst into tears. The Doctor sat down next to him and held him.

_" I'm so sorry Eddy, he was a good guy. I'm so so sorry. It's going to be okay, everything is gonna be fine."_

Eddy burst out of his chair.

_"HOW DOES IT GET BETTER? THE ONE PERSON WHO EVER TRUELY THOUGHT HE WAS MY FRIEND JUST DIED TODAY! ED DIED AND IT'S MY FAULT... It's always been my fault..."_

Eddy fell back to the ground. The pain of the loss overwhelmed his body. Johnny sat down next to him on the floor.

_" Eddy, it's not your fault. These things happen. Life is constantly changing thing. People live, people die, and we move on. We shouldn't mourn Ed's death but celebrate his life. Come on, let's get you home."_

Eddy didn't fight Johnny this time. He got up with him and they walked to the exit of the hospital. Eddy looked back once into the room where Ed's body lies, and then left with Johnny. In that moment, he realised that was the last time he will ever see the Lug.

Eddy and Johnny walked out of the building and started heading towards Johnny's car. Johnny opened the passenger side door for Eddy and closed it for him as well. He went around to the drivers side and got into the car. He looked at Eddy who was staring into the void. Johnny decided to leave him be. They began to drive back to Eddy's house. As Johnny was driving, Eddy began to speak.

_" I never liked Ed. He was always so idiotic. He could fuck up a wet dream. I always used him for those stupid childhood scams to get those God damn Jawbreakers. I saw him as nothing more than a tool, a means to an end. Now, I realise something. He was my best friend. He was always there when I needed him and he was so kind. His sympathy towards others was something I couldn't rap my head around. God, I love that kid... I'm gonna miss him."_

Eddy burst into tears on the spot. Johnny remained silent. After 20 minutes, they arrived at Eddy's place. Eddy began to get out of the car.

" _You know what though? After all of that shit I pulled on him, he still loved me. I vow to always love him the same way. Always and forever."_

Eddy stepped out of the car and walked to his house.

" _Goodnight Lumpy..."_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The house was dead silent. Eddy sat motionless in his recliner just pondering what had occurred. He felt as if everything stopped. Time and all of reality just came to a hault. He had only felt this way once before. It was years ago. Ed, Edd and Eddy had just graduated high school. It was a wonderful time. The summer had just begun, the kids were playing in the streets and Eddy was finally free to do what he wanted.

They all went to a party and Kevin's place. It was a rather small party. Decorations had been hung without any real care and the house was lit with black lights. Kevin and Double D had been dating for a while at this point. Only a select few people knew because Peach Creek isn't the safest place to be open about your sexuallity nor your was strange to Eddy how much the Sockhead had changed over the years. This once shy yet bright shining example of excellence had now been turned into another plaything on the island of misfit toys. At least that's how Double D put it anyway.

That night, Eddy hadn't seen much of Sockhead. He had been try to talk up Naz and see how far he could get with her. The details of that encounter aren't worth getting into, but let's just say that the odds seemed to be in Eddy's favor that the way, Ed was chatting with Jimmy and Johnny. Jimmy had become one of the more popular people in the cul de sac. This of course being due to the fact that he got a hold of the best drugs in the county. Because of Jimmy, blow and speed became an easy to come by substance in that town. It was probably Jimmy that was the indirect cause for many peoples passing in that town, but who can really blame him? It was a living.

Everybody at the party was seeming to have a good time. People were talking, laughing, dancing, and the bedrooms were all filled with teenagers and wild hormones. Everything was going fine and dandy. Then seemingly out of nowhere, Kevin burst out of the kitchen covered in blood.

"EDDY, ED, GET IN THE KITCHEN AND HELP ME!"

Kevin had never been this terrified in his life. Eddy came bolting out of one of the bedrooms. He tripped and fell trying to pull up his pants, but then he got back up, buckled his belt and rushed to the kitchen. When he stepped into the kitchen, he almost threw up. There was blood all over the floor. He couldn't pin whom the blood belonged to, but then he spotted a black stretched out beanie on the floor. Eddy then rushed to Double D's body and check everything he knew how to check. He wasn't awake, but he was still breathing. Kevin just stood over Eddy in shock of the situation.

" Don't just stand there, go call 9-11!"

Kevin went into the living room to get to the landline. Eddy looked over Double D to find the wound. His wrist had been slit. Eddy took of his shirt and wrapped it around to try to stop the bleeding. While he sat there in a pool of blood holding Sockhead in his arms, everything seemed to stop. Time ceased for a brief moment and that moment seemed like forever.

**Eddy snapped back out of it. He was still sitting in his recliner in his parents house. He checked the time and an hour or so had passed since he'd gotten home. He checked his phone to see if he had missed any calls. He missed one text from Kevin asking if he could come over. Eddy told him they could meet up tomorrow. Eddy was in no mood to entertain a guest. Eddy sat back down in the chair, and fell asleep. **


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kevin was sitting alone in his house. Jimmy decided to let him go home so he could rest. While this was appreciated, Kevin knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. He tried to clear his mind and make himself feel better, but he couldn't get Sockhead out of his mind. He jolted as he heard the front door swing open and slam shut. Naz walked in with Jim trailing behind. Jim walked to his room while Naz went to the living room where Kevin was sitting.

" _Hey, Jim and I just got back from the Candy Shop. I got him a few Jawbreakers, I hope you don't mind."_

Naz and Kevin sat in silence for a few moments. Naz pulled out her phone and checked the time.

"_Sorry, I've got to go. I'll be back later. Hope you get better Kev."_

Naz got up and walked out of the front door. Kevin remained unremoved in his chair. The more and more Kevin tried not to think about him, the more Double D would surface in his mind. The memories of hanging out at the pond and smoking their minds away. In the middle of his thought, Kevin heard his son calling from the other room. He got up and slowly walked to his room.

He got to the doorway and saw Jim sitting at his desk. Every item in the room was labeled with sticky notes. Jim was sitting at his drawing table with his head laying on his desk. Kevin could hear sobs coming from the child. He walked up to Jim and put his arms around him. "_Hey buddy, what's wrong? What's got you down son?"_ "_Dad… why did he have to go? Why did he have to leave us Dad? I just can't rap my head around it."_ Kevin's heart sank into his chest. He tried to hold back the tears. He had to stay strong. For Jim. "_I know how hard it is Jim. I miss him just as much as you do, but we have to move on. It's what he would want. I know that it seems like things are just gonna get worse from here, but just hold on Jim. I promise that its all going to get better and its's gonna be okay. Just know Jim, he loved you very much. D loved you so much."_ Jim turned and began to cry uncontrollably into Kevin's chest. In that moment Kevin let himself go too. They both just let out all of their anger and frustration.

After a time, Jim and Kevin both calmed down. Kevin went ahead and put Jim to turned off the light in his room and gently shut the door. He walked to the master bedroom and got out of his cloths. He put on his pajamas and got into bed. As he was reaching to turn off his lamp light on his nightstand, he noticed the letter on sticking out of the drawer. Kevin had read that letter many times before and each time it got harder and harder to read, but he couldn't resist rereading it. After struggling to keep himself from indulging, he broke and grabbed it and began to read.

_To my dearest Kevin,_ _I can not begin to express how sorry I am for what I have done. It is the most selfish thing anyone can do and I'm so sorry. I just can't take the pressure anymore. My life has just become unbearable and I have to make a change. I know you won't be able to understand, but I don't expect you to. Please, take care of Jim. Stay strong for our boy._

_Farewell,_ _Edd_

Kevin burst into tears. He dropped the note to the floor and cried himself to sleep...


	9. Chapter 9

The funeral home was filled with loud whispering and sobs. It was dark and unsettling place. Eddy could just taste the saddness of the most unsettling thing was the open casket. Ed's cold corpse could be seen by everyone in the room and Eddy knew he was gonna have to go up to the body and pay his respects. Even though he was sitting in the last row of pews, the body could be seen in great detail. The room was almost packed with never realized how many people cared about Ed. It seemed like everyone in town came to this morbid gathering. Eddy wondered how he always managed to get into these situations. What was next? Was somebody gonna get shot? Was Kevin gonna kick his ass? He didn't know. All he knew is that if there was to be any more trouble, it would head his way. That seemed to be how his life worked. He never realized it until now.

The manager of the home came up to the stage and began to give his speech about Ed. Eddy zoned out during this because whatever this stranger had to say wasn't really all too special. Nothing he had to say was really personal to anyone there. He had no idea who Ed was. Eventually he started to call up friends to talk about him. First Naz, then Johnny, Kevin, and then to Eddy's suprise he was called up. He hadn't been told that he would be going up there to talk about Ed, so he would have to improvise. He got up from his seat and walked up to the front of the room. The stage was also where was Ed was laying. As he walked up to the stage, he could truly see what modern day funeral home practices will do to a body. Ed looked nothing like what he did before. His face was pale white and his face had been deformed. Eddy turned to the audience and began to speek

"_There aren't words to describe what Ed meant to me. He was always there when I needed him and no matter what I did he was always at my side. I won't lie to any of you today. I didn't always treat him like a friend. I used and abused him. I was young and stupid and I did't think he deserved to be treated with any kind of humanity. I regret all of it. I remember back when we were kids, Ed was having a bad day. He was obviously irratated and you know what I did? I made fun of him. I threw a baseball at him. I never bothered to help him. It would've been so easy too. You wanna know what his problem was? He had a peble in his god damn shoe. A peble. Just a peble, and still I didn't even try..."_ It was getting harder and harder for Eddy to speak. _" But you know what? I always loved that silly son of a bitch. If I had known now that he was still a junkie I would've dragged his ass to the rehab facillity. But yet again, I didn't care enough to ask him about his life. Even now..." _It was at this point that Eddy burst into tears and two workers at the home led him off the stage and back to the last row of the service everybody went up to the casket to pay their respects. Eddy got up there and looked at Ed's body. Eddy grabbed a jawbreaker out of his pocket and put it on Ed's chest. Then he walked away and left the building.

Eddy was sitting out side on a bench. He was thinking about all the things he had done with Ed. All of the scams, the parties, all of it. His thought was intrupted by the jolt of Kevin sitting down next to him.

"_ Hey Eddy, I need to give you something."_

Eddy looked at Kevin with a blank stare. Kevin reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a letter.  
>"<em> I'm not rushing you or anything, but I'm telling you that you NEED to read this letter. Take your time, but please, make sure that you do. I'll see you later."<em>

Kevin handed Eddy the letter, then walked away. Eddy opened the letter and began to read.

"_ Dear Eddy,_

_I know by the time you read this document, it will have been since you and I have last communicated. I write this to you after our last...Meeting shall we say. I have a task for you if you're willing to take part in my little game. If you wish to continue, go to the pond where our special spot is and there will be another letter. If you choose to not go on this quest however, I bid you farewell and I wish the best of luck to you._

_Double D"_


End file.
